The Rise and Fall of Comedians, Politicians, and...

       Last Tuesday I switched on the new Tim Allen comedy, “Last Man Standing” and remembered the good ol days of Tool Time. Lately with the resurgence of the Toy Story franchise, Tim Allen is not the Last Man Standing but the front man, making a comeback just like his hometown of Detroit and their Lions. The post-Home Improvement years wasn’t just a “break” but a major fall with an arrest for DUI. The rise and fall and rise again makes me wonder...when’s the next Santa Clause movie coming out? 
       It’s not just Tim Allen having career resurrections, and not the only comedian either. The rise, fall, rise scenario has played out for Ellen DeGeneres as well with her hit TV sitcom, cancellation and public scrutiny for her lifestyle, then she’s back with a popular talk show and hosting award shows. This goes on again with Rosie O’Donnell; hit talk show, major court battle with show producers leading to cancellation, then look who’s back with another show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Can we see a pattern yet? How about the infamous Conan O’Brien saga; late night talk show hit, moved to the Tonight Show slot, lost ratings, fired, moved to TBS, big comeback again. 

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       Shall we play this out with someone who’s not a comedian? Ok, politicians, great. Though we might consider some to be laughable too. President Clinton rise was dramatic and capped with a decisive reelection in 1996, becoming the first Democratic incumbent since Lyndon Johnson to be elected to a second term and the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected President more than once. Then the fall...Monica Lewinsky, impeachment hearings, tarnished legacy. But here we sat on Sunday night watching the 10th anniversary celebration of the Clinton Foundation where he has created an organization that has done nothing short of change the world for the better. He has transfixed the public’s opinion through service abroad with the Tsunami aid, Haiti rebuilding, and rescuing the journalists from North Korea. 

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       The script repeats itself everywhere we turn from sports figures to TV personalities like Martha Stewart, from Betty White to the late Steve Jobs. Steve as well all know went from being fired from his own company to leading its resurgence back to almost monopoly status and changing the world as he did it. The real question is where are you on this path? We all rise and fall, but it’s the ones who rise again that truly make impacts in whichever field that may be. Success comes from mistakes, it’s time to get your comeback on!

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